Language is a powerful tool. The artful manipulation of language has sparked countless revolutions and has continuously fueled social progression over the course of human history. In Carmen V’azquez’s “Appearances,” V’azquez argues that homophobia is a serious concern in society. She rallies for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, to challenge society’s unyielding gender roles and homophobia. Through the art of persuasion, Carmen V’azquez blended careful diction, emotional stories, and persuasive structure to aggressively address the problem of homophobia both coherently and effectively.
Although language manipulation can be broken into countless categories and sub-categories, diction is arguably the common denominator. When one conducts an analysis of another’s words, it is both logical and necessary for one to address the author’s word choice. V’azquez’s essay is full of strategically placed adjectives and transitions to pull the reader to her message. She refers to society’s gender roles as being a “straitjacket” that “suffocates” (p.
493, 3 rd paragraph).
Both of the words “straitjacket” and “suffocates” not only embody the frustration felt by homosexuals, but also suggest that society is bound by its own unreasonable expectations. The author’s metaphorical suffocating straight jacket serves as a signal to the reader that society’s treatment of gender roles is in dire need of reform. Throughout “Appearances,” V’azquez strategically crafted words to persuade the reader to recognize the problem and to support her cause. A stark example of this is “It is a frightening reality” (p.
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494, 1 st paragraph).
Instead of writing: “I find this reality frightening,” the author decided to write: “It is a frightening reality.” She clearly expresses not only how she feels, but suggests that it is reasonable for everyone to feel the same way. The words, “Sadly, it is on every level,” (p. 495, 2 nd paragraph) are not only an indication that V’azquez agrees with the statements made in the 20/20 interview, but “Sadly” serves as an indicator that she finds social progression necessary. Although V’azquez could have simply stated her agreement with the interview, she left no room for misunderstanding when she suggested that the reader should not only agree with, but be saddened by such a truth. It is evident from these examples, that the author strategically used diction to lead the reader to her argument.
Carmen V’azquez wasted no time in establishing an emotional connection between her argument and the reader. In her opening paragraphs, she set the scene with graphic depictions of the oppression of two men, who were mistakenly labeled as homosexuals. The image of a defenseless man after being severely beaten is meant to stir feelings of anger and compassion in the reader. Although the author could have provided examples of actual homosexual oppression, these examples supported V’azquez’s explanation that homophobia stems from a greater problem in society, the unyielding gender roles. These stories do not form a logical foundation for such an argument, but rather, they appeal to the emotions of the reader.
Such pathos is frequent in “Appearances,” and is used to rally support for V’azquez’s cause. After reading her introductory paragraphs, one might be prompted ask the question “how do these instances speak for society?” To give society a voice, the author cited a statement made by Doug Barr “We hate homosexuals. They degrade our manhood… I’d rather be seen as a football player” (p. 492, 4 th paragraph).
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It does not take a sociologist to understand that his statements are at the extreme end of the spectrum.
V’azquez cited Doug Barr to give yet another example to the reader of how far society’s problem of homophobia has gone. The disagreement between the opinions of the reader and the words of Mr. Barr is both designed and expected. V’azquez engineered this conflict to entice the reader to take an aggressive stance against the unbridled homophobia. The reader is met with a desire to silence Mr. Barr, which is precisely what the author intended.
Throughout her essay, V’azquez’s use of pathos consistently prepares the reader or her for the arguments by stirring his or her emotions. The delivery of V’azquez’s argument is not limited to her choice of words, but also is attributed to the careful structure of her essay. She raises her arguments as a lawyer would present a case to a jury. Most lawyers realize that an unpredictable jury is not going to be convinced by logical argument alone. Rather than risk addressing a misinformed and argumentative reader, V’azquez quickly captures the reader’s sympathy and then addresses the cause of that sympathy. This pattern of “shock & explain” is prevalent throughout her essay.
In one of V’azquez’s stories, a lady by the name of Dorothy Ehrlich made the statement that her scary situation was “So frightening and unreal” (p. 494 2 nd paragraph).
To alleviate any of the reader’s confusion, the author immediately states “But it is real” (p. 494 3 rd paragraph).
When V’azquez discusses a sobering reality, she fills it with emotionally-charged content, and then follows up with her own analysis and / or conclusion.
Although V’azquez presented her case coherently and effectively, she did not address all the concerns surrounding the issue of gender roles and homophobia. For instance, there is an argument for both homophobia and gender roles having a biblical origin, and the author did not mention it. Because of this, if the reader was a homophobic, and he or she deeply rooted his or her views in the bible, he or she would probably not be persuaded by V’azquez’s essay. However, like a lawyer, covering the opposing side could prove destructive to his or her argument.
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Carmen V’azquez’s goal was to show the reader that social reform was the only clear option and her essay accomplishes this coherently and effectively. Through the artful use of careful diction, emotional stories, and persuasive structure, Carmen V’azquez made her argument very clear. She found that gender roles and the state of homophobia in today’s society was unacceptable, and requested the reader’s cooperation in the struggle to reform society’s views. “Appearances” is an excellent example of an essay with an effective delivery of an argument. This manipulation of language may one day inspire a change in the views of society.
